Lug package



G. N. WILLIS Feb. 27,1962

LUG PACKAGE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Feb. 11, 1957 INVENTOR.

7 GRANT 1V. W/LL/5 BY W M ATT RNEY-S G. N. WILLIS Feb. 27, 1962 LUG PACKAGE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Feb. 11, 1957 INVENTOR. GRANT N. W/LL/S ATTORNEYS G. N. WILLIS Feb. 27, 1962 LUG PACKAGE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Feb. 11, 1957 FIG. 4

INVENTOR. GPA/VT N. W/LL/S A ORNEYS Feb. 27, 1962 G. N.- WILLIS 3,022,887

LUG PACKAGE Original Filed Feb. .11, 1957 INVENTOR GRANT WILL/8 I ATT PNEYS United States Patent @ffice Patented Feb.'27, 1962 3,022,887 LUG PACKAGE Grant N. Willis, Bristol, Conn, assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Boston, Mass, a corporation of Delaware Original application Feb. 11, 1957, Ser. No. 639,542, new Patent No. 2,898,718. dated Aug. 11, 1959. Divided and this application Mar. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 799,636

3 Claims. ((31. 20659) This invention relates to a novel and improved package for lugs, terminals or the like and is a division of my copending application Serial No. 639,542, now Patent No. 2,898,718 entitled Machine for Packaging Lugs and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.

In the electronics industry more and more emphasis is being laid upon automation, particularly in the assembly of relatively small lugs or terminals in panels such as printed circuit boards. For this purpose, machines have been developed which will automatically transfer lugs from a loading station and insert them in a fixture or panel. A principal purpose of the present invention is to provide a novel package for lugs, terminals or the like in a form particularly adapted for feeding the lugs, terminals and the like to automatic inserting machinery with the lugs disposed in an upright position and stacked in an aligned predetermined orientation and whereby the lugs are detachably but securely retained and supported in the package in a novel manner.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top view of a lug packaging machine constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view substantially along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of a portion of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a plurality of lugs packaged in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary enlarged elevational view of a portion of the package of FIG. 6.

With reference to FIGS. 4, 6 and 7, there is illustrated a plurality of lugs or terminals representative of the type with which this invention is concerned, with the lugs packaged in accordance with the invention. The package comprises an elongated tightly stacked row of lugs, with each lug disposed in an upright position and'with the lugs maintained in a self-supporting row by a pair of flexible adhesive strips 10, 11 applied to opposite sides of the stems 12 of the lugs. The row of lugs is coiled on a supporting member or form comprising a base 13 on which the bottoms of the lugs rest and a center tubular member 14 on which the row of lugs is coiled. It is preferred that the self-supporting row of lugs be coiled with the row and thus the strips 10, 11 under tension, in order to provide a compact and stable package. A pair of flexible spacers 15, 16, such as welt, are disposed between adjacent courses or rows of lugs to maintain the row parallel and upright. It has been found that during prolonged storage of the lugs, packaged as above described, the strips 16 and 11, because of the tension thereon, have a tendency to separate from the lugs, and

accordingly the upper spacer 15 is engaged between the next adjacent adhesive strips on next adjacent courses of lugs to maintain the strips in firm engagement with the lugs. A particular advantage of a package of lugs, as described, is that with the end of the coil disposed in a guide channel and the ends of the strips 10, 11 separated from the lugs and engaged with a guide member at each side of the channel, tension may be applied to the strips 10,11 to remove them from the row of lugs while at the same time advancing the row of lugs along the guide channel. It can thus be seen that the novel package is particularly suited for use with automatic lug inserting machinery.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 ofthe drawings, a machine, constructed in accordance with the invention, for packaging lugs in the form described above, comprises a base 17 adapted to be placed on the floor or on a table and which supports the operative elements of the machine. Adjacent one end of the base and supported thereon by uprights is a table or plate 18 on which is mounted a pair of spaced apart guide rails 19 and 26 forming a guidechannel 21 alignable with a suitable hopper indicated in dotted lines in FIG. 1 whereby lugs such as described above may be fed into the guide channel 21 in an upright position and properly oriented. A pair of drive wheels 22, 24 having a knurled or serrated periphery are mounted on shafts 23 journaled in blocks 26 mounted on the table 18 on either side of the guide channel 21. As can be most clearly seen in FIG. 1, a portion of each of the drive wheels projects into a groove or recess which extends through the guide rails 19 and 20 into communication with the channel 21 therebetween. The drive wheels are positioned so that the periphery of each is engageable with opposite sides of a row of lugs disposed in the guide channel. The shafts 23 on which the toothed wheels 22, 24 are mounted respectively carry a pair of intermeshed gears 28, and the shaft for the wheel 22 also carries a sprocket 30 engageable by a chain 32 driven by a motor 34 which is mounted on a plate secured to the uprights supporting the table 18. A suitable yieldable connection (not shown) is provided between the sprocket 30 and shaft for the wheel 22 to provide a slipping driving connection therebetween, for reasons which will be hereinafter apparent.

Also rotatably supported on the table 18 are a pair of rubber wheels 36, 38 which like the drive wheels 22, 24 are partly received in grooves or recesses extending through the guide rails 19, 20 and into communication with the guide channel therebetween. The purpose of these wheels will be hereinafter described.

As most clearly seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the guide rails are each provided with an aperture or recess 40, 42, respectively, extending therethrough and in each of which is disposed a roller 44. The rollers serve to guide the strips 10. 11 of pressure sensitive tape, which are supplied from coils 47 of such tape mounted on a pair of turntables 48, 5t) rotatably supported on the table 18. A slot 52 extends through the top of each guide rail into the recesses 40, 42 to provide easy loading of the tape within the recesses.

In the operation of the machine thus far described, the free ends of the tapes 10, 11 are loaded through the slots 52 and between the rollers 44 and rubber wheels 36, 38 with their adherent surfaces facing each other. The motor 34 is operated to rotate the drive wheel 22 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1. The gear connection between the drive wheels will result in rotation of the wheel 24 in a clockwise direction, and the wheels will advance lugs in the channel 21 leftwardly, between the rubber wheels 36, 38. As the row of lugs is passed between the rubber wheels, the tapes 10, 11 will be picked up by the lugs and pressed into firm enspeassr gagement with opposite sides of the row to provide a selfsupporting row of lugs. The assembled row of lugs then passes from the leftward exit end of the guide channel onto a plate 54, supported above the table 13. The pressure of the rubber wheels on the lugs necessary to firmly adhere the tape thereto provides sufiicient resistance to passage of the lugs between the rubber wheels to cause a slipping of the shaft of the drive Wheel 22. This slipping of the drive wheel shaft assures that the lugs between the drive wheel and pressure wheels will be tightly compacted when the tape is applied thereto even though, as will be later seen, an additional force is applied to the taped row of lugs generally in the direction of movement of the row by the drive wheels.

The taped row of lugs is then led onto a turntable 56 which, as will be seen, is also driven by the chain 32 so as to coil the self-supporting strip or row of lugs. With reference to FIG. 4, the turntable 56 comprises a shaft 58 journaled on a pedestal 60 mounted on the base 17. A sprocket 62 is mounted for rotation with the shaft 58 and is engageable with the chain 32. Keyed to the shaft 58 is a base member 64 which supports a friction member 66, the other side of which engages and supports a turntable plate 67 adapted to support the coil support base member 13.

Fixed to the turntable plate 67 for rotation therewith is a sleeve 70 disposed coaxially of the shaft 58 and on which is threadably mounted a cap 72. A nut is threadably mounted on the upper end of the shaft 58 and engages a washer 74 which engages one end of coil spring 76 disposed about the shaft 58. The other end of the spring is engaged with the inner race of a bearing 78 mounted on the shaft 58. The outer race of the bearing is fixed for rotation with the sleeve 76. As should be apparent, there is thus provided a slip clutch between the shaft 58 and turntable plate 67 with the force which will cause slipping of the clutch being determined by adjustment of the spring 76.

Also mounted on the sleeve 70 is a collar 80 of suitable resiliently compressible material such as rubber. A spacer 82 is disposed between the collar 80 and a cap 72 whereby threading of the cap toward the collar 80 will axially compress the collar causing it to expand radially outwardly of the turntable into firm engagement with the tubular center member 14, thus forming a driving connection between the turntable and coil supporting member.

A similar arrangement for mounting the coils of pressure sensitive tape on the turntables 4S and 50 is provided. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the turntable 48 is fixed for rotation with a rotatable sleeve 85 supported on the outer race of a bearing, the inner race of which is mounted on a stub shaft supported on the table 18. Threadably mounted on the sleeve 85 is a cap 86, and as can be seen in FIG. 3, threading of the cap 86 axially inwardly of the sleeve 85 will move an annular spacer 87 mounted externally of the sleeve 85 into engagement with a collar 88, also mounted on the sleeve 85. The collar, which is compressible material such as rubber will accordingly be expanded radially outwardly of the sleeve 85 into engagement with the roll of tape 47 to retain the tape on the turntable.

A pair of tubes 92, 94, as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 5, are pivotally mounted on a pedestal96 supported on the base 17. The tubes are spring biased radially inwardly of the turntable 56 and as most clearly seen in FIG. 5, are adapted to receive and guide the pair of spacer members 15, 16 into engagement with the outer course or layer of lugs as the lugsare being coiled for the purpose above described.

As heretofore mentioned, the turntable, as well as the drive wheels 22, are driven by the motor 54. The gear ratio between the motor drive sprocket, drive wheel sprocket 3i and turntable sprocket 62 is selected to provide a peripheral speed of the compressible collar which is greater than the lineal rate of advance of the lugs by the drive wheels. Thus by adjustment of the turntable slip clutch spring 76, the desired tension on the row of lugs may be provided to assure a tight coiling of the lugs.

As will be apparent to persons skilled in the art, various modifications and adaptations of the structure above described will become readily apparent without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A package of lugs of the type having an elongated stem portion comprising a supporting member having a base portion and a central member extending from the base portion, a plurality of juxtaposed lugs disposed in an elongated row coiled upon said central member with the stems of the lugs in an upright position on said base portion, a flexible pressure sensitive adhesive strip on each side of said row of lugs detachably retaining the lugs in said row, and an elongated flexible spacer member engaged between next adjacent adhesive strips on next adjacent courses of lugs whereby the strips are maintained in firm engagement with the lugs.

2. A package of lugs of the type having an elongated stem portion comprising a plurality of juxtaposed lugs disposed in an elongated row coiled upon itself about a central axis with the stems of the lugs facing in the same direction, a flexible pressure sensitive adhesive strip on one side of said row of lugs detachably retaining said lugs in said row, and an elongated spacer member engaged between next adjacent courses of lugs and in contact with the adhesive strip, said spacer member being retained in said package entirely by frictional engagement due to the tight coiling of the lugs whereby the strip is maintained in firm engagement with the lugs.

3. A package of lugs of the type having an elongated stem portion comprising a supporting member having a base portion and a central member extending from the base portion, a plurality of juxtaposed lugs disposed in an elongated row coiled upon said central member with the stems of the lugs in an upright position on said base portion, a flexible pressure sensitive adhesive strip on each side of said row of lugs detachably detaining the lugs in said row, a first elongated flexible spacer member engaged between said next adjacent adhesive strips on next adjacent courses of lugs whereby the strips are maintained in firm engagement with the lugs, and a second elongated flexible spacer member engaged between next adjacent courses of lugs and spaced from said first spacer member thereby to positively position each course of lugs relative to thenext adjacent course of lugs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES- PATENTS 1,046,665 Smith Dec. 10, 1912 1,589,387 Hartford June 22, 1926 2,056,180 Flood Oct. 6, 1936 2,137,467 Vogel Nov. 22, 1938 2,266,534 Cavanagh Dec. 16, 1941 2,743,445 Lerner May 1, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 680,632 Great Britain Oct. 8, 1952 

